Participation in Sports Activities in People with Epilepsy

Sports activities are of physiological, social, and psychological importance for people with epilepsy as well as for every other person. However, participation in sports activities is less common in people with epilepsy. Patients usually tend to refrain from participating in sports activities for several reasons such as the risk of injuries, the risk of physical exercise inducing seizures, stigmatization, prejudice, or lack of efficient medical advice. In this review, we specified the sports branches with their possible risks, precautions to be taken and their related advice for people with epilepsy. The sports branches are examined in the headings as martial arts, outdoor sports, collective ground sports, and gymnastics. The possible risk of injury, risk of the particular sports branch to precipitate a seizure, and the necessary precautions in each sports branch are discussed separately. A detailed clinical evaluation is required to make an appropriate decision on whether an individual with epilepsy can practice the mentioned sport. The type of sport, the type and frequency of seizures, presence of aura, seizure triggers, drug compliance, presence of efficient supervision, and presence of protective equipment should be evaluated. In this review, we have evaluated these topics for each sports branch separately. When appropriate precautions are taken in patients with epilepsy, sports will be accepted as a therapeutic entity rather than a ban

IVIg-induced headache: prospective study of a large cohort with neurological disorders

Background: Intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is frequently used in some neurological diseases and is also the first-line therapy in Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and multifocal motor neuropathy. We aimed to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of headaches, which is one of the most common side effects of IVIg treatment. Methods: Patients who received IVIg treatment for neurological diseases were prospectively enrolled in 23 centers. Firstly, the characteristics of patients with and without IVIg-induced headaches were analyzed statistically. Then, patients with IVIg-induced headaches were classified into three subgroups determined by their history: no primary headache, tension-type headache (TTH), and migraine. Results: A total of 464 patients (214 women) and 1548 IVIg infusions were enrolled between January and August 2022. The frequency of IVIg-related headaches was 27.37% (127/464). A binary logistic regression analysis performed with significant clinical features disclosed that female sex and fatigue as a side effect were statistically more common in the IVIg-induced headache group. IVIg-related headache duration was long and affected daily living activities more in patients with migraine compared to no primary headache and TTH groups (p = 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Headache is more likely to occur in female patients receiving IVIg and those who develop fatigue as a side effect during the infusion. Clinicians’ awareness of IVIg-related headache characteristics, especially in patients with migraine, may increase treatment compliance